Shipping season underway

SAULT STE. MARIE — The Paul R. Tregurtha cleared the Soo Locks at 1:13 a.m. today officially marking the 2013 Great Lakes Shipping Season which opened at 12:01 a.m. today.

By Scott BrandThe Evening News

SAULT STE. MARIE — The Paul R. Tregurtha cleared the Soo Locks at 1:13 a.m. today officially marking the 2013 Great Lakes Shipping Season which opened at 12:01 a.m. today.

And the captain and crew of the 1,013-foot self-unloader did not depart empty-handed, according to Executive Director Linda Hoath of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors' Bureau. Due to the early-morning departure, city officials, dignitaries, and a host of guests gathered Sunday at the Soo Locks Visitor Center to celebrate the event.

"I gave them two Sault Ste. Marie Pure Michigan vests," reported Hoath adding her gifts came on the heels of a presentation by Mayor Anthony Bosbous and plaques from both the Soo Locks Visitor Center and the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce to commemorate the event.

The festive occasion stood in stark contrast to the Paul R. Tregurtha's last trip through the Soo Locks in August of 2012. Shortly after the downbound vessel passed through last summer carrying 62,000 tons of coal, she ran hard aground near Light 33 in West Neebish Channel just upriver of the area of the St. Marys River commonly known as "The Rock Cut."

After the bow of the boat struck the shallower waters, the stern pivoted running aground on the opposite side of the shipping channel, effectively closing the downbound channel.

Interlake Shipping Company personnel, owner of the Paul R. Tregurtha, were joined by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie and the Salvage Engineering Response Team in freeing the vessel with two large tug boats. Despite a fractured forepeak, the ship was given clearance to proceed down river and beyond where it subsequently underwent repairs in preparation for the 2013 shipping season.

The Paul R. Tregurtha is the largest ship on The Great Lakes.

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